Foodservice Opinions

Opinion pieces on the foodservice equipment and supplies industry from leaders and laymen from all aspects of the business, including dealers, distributors, design consultants and multi-unit operators.

This week FE&S blogger Jerry Steigler takes a look at sales data for October, examines one of the soon-to-be-many forecasts for 2014, finds a restaurant chain that's redesigning its dining areas to appeal to different demographic groups and much more.

This week we examine the complicated reasons why some foodservice operators can't find help, despite high levels of unemployment. We also look at consumers' preferences for fast-casual over fast food restaurants, follow up on last week's McDonald's story, and much more.

This week we examine reports from Washington, D.C., on the growth of the economy and the employment picture. We also take a closer look at foodservice employment, Walmart's entry into the c-store market, a dozen chains comparable store sales reports, and much more.

Menu innovation is neccessary for long-term success but it can create a chain reaction that negatively affects cutomer service. Juan Martinez reviews a few pitfalls and gives his expert advice on how to avoid them.

With the assessment complete, Nardin Academy's leadership team was left to decide what to do with newfound information about the school's food program. Should Nardin build a new kitchen? Design a new menu? Should Nardin coordinate with its foodservice provider? How would the school address environmental concerns? What would the community think?

This Week in Foodservice notes that the NRA's Restaurant Performance Index shows soft sales but foodservice operators continue to invest in their businesses. Also, inflation remains under control but operators need to rely on promotions to pull in customers, Sysco reports sales growth, a dozen plus chains reveal their comp store sales and much more.

A gainst a backdrop of unprecedented dysfunction that includes the government shutdown and the novel threat of U.S. debt default playing out as bargaining strategies before a world of bewildered onlookers, it's good to know that at least in the business world people can still work together for the common good.

We've had many successes at Cafe Gratitude and Gracias Madre restaurants over the last ten years. What started as an idea — an experiment even — grew into a business that has surpassed our wildest dreams. Our restaurants now have multiple locations in California and one in Kansas City, Mo. We've even had the opportunity to teach the unique tools used in our company to other organizations like Whole Foods and Dharma Merchants.